The legacy of classical, jazz and popular music icons - including Aaron Copland - continues to inspire award-worthy creative works. Copland is among the subjects of recently named winners of the 50th annual ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Awardsfor outstanding print, broadcast and new media coverage of music.
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From October 31 - November 4 at The Harman Center for the Arts in the heart of the nation's capital, The Washington Ballet will showcase its range of abilities and depth of versatility in an extraordinary program that pays tribute to the 20th century's most accomplished American modern choreographers. Contemporary Masters will include iconic works by three of the greatest influencers of modern American dance, Mark Morris, Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor.
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For four decades now, the San Francisco Girls Chorus has pursued an important double mission. The group has trained several generations of young women in musicianship, artistry and discipline, and it has also provided Bay Area audiences with excellent public performances across a wide range of repertoire.
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Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) has released a new recording of Thomson’s celebrated first opera Four Saints in Three Acts, with a libretto by Gertrude Stein, on their BMOP/Sound label. Artistic Director Gil Rose, in photo, conducts this luminous first recording of the recently-published critical edition of the score.
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In this review of Library of America’s second volume of Virgil Thomson’s writings, The State of Music & Other Writings, chief classical music critic of the New York Times Anthony Tommasini reflects upon Thomson’s role in the American classical music industry. Mr. Tommasini offers a nuanced perspective on Thomson’s famously provocative writing, and on the inherent contradiction in being both an active composer and an important music critic concurrently. He leaves no doubt about the significant impact that Thomson had on the American music scene.
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In anticipation of the release of their recording, The Complete Songs of Virgil Thomson for Voice and Piano, Florestan Recital Project created this promotional video featuring commentary by Aaron Engebreth, Alison d’Amato and Scott Wheeler. Watch it now to learn more about this important recording, hailed in the Boston Globe as a “landmark contribution to musical culture”.
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